Not All Explosions in Russia Are Due to War

Who doesn't love a good explosion? As long as it is on video, and a long way away, that is.

BLEVE = Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. This is why I don't like propane. Even when it is not under high pressure, things can go wrong.

It isn't really funny, as 6 people were injured, one of them seriously. The manager of the gas station has been detained under a criminal investigation.

This is the StacheD video LPG Tanker Explosion: Routine Delivery to BLEVE! This took place at a gas station in Pyatigorsk, Russia, which is in southern Russia, roughly 110 miles east of the Black sea, and about 65 miles north of the border with Georgia.

When you're unloading a tanker, there's well established safety protocols for a reason. When those protocols get skipped or the equipment isn't up to standard, you don't get a second chance to fix it.

The video is about four and a half minutes. (I love StacheD videos; they are entertaining and I learn stuff.)

Russia Threatens War

From the Irish Mirror: Russia threatens to 'punish Europe severely' in nuclear Armageddon warning

A top Russian strategist has warned that Europe could face nuclear attack if Moscow suffers defeat in Ukraine

I haven't followed Russian rulers beyond Putin for a long time. I'm not familiar with how much power Russia's Council for Foreign and Defense Policy has, though it could be he is acting as a mouthpiece for the government.

Vladimir Putin's henchman, in charge of Russia's defence policy, has called on the country's leader to unleash nuclear weapons and 'punish Europe and the UK severely' for its support of Ukraine.

Sergey Karaganov, head of Russia’s Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, added that, if the UK and Nato's defence of Ukraine resulted in a victory for Volodymyr Zelensky, then Putin "would use nuclear weapons and Europe would be finished physically".

One thing I do know, is that Russia NEVER considered nuclear war unwinnable. The Soviet Union build blast and fallout shelters almost continuously from the 1960s on. Maybe it was from the late 1950s. That stopped for a while after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Warsaw Pact, but started up again under Putin, shortly after he came to power in 1999. They never bought into Mutually Assured Destruction, accept that they never thought they had enough of an edge to win. Americans refuse to believe this. (It would mean we should be spending money on Civil Defense, not trains to nowhere, or sending hundreds of millions of dollars to countries that will launder it for us, and send back 10% for the Big Guy™)

Also Putin is reported to have cancer, so it's not like he has a lot to lose personally. He does have a family, namely children and grandchildren.

Does Putin Face a Growing Crisis?

From The Telegraph: Putin fears another coup as Russia finally begins to buckle

In 2003 Mikhail Khodorkovsky was arrested by the forces of Putin's Russia. It probably marked the start of Russia's return to being a totalitarian state.

This month, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Khodorkovsky, who now lives in exile in London, and 22 members of Russia’s Anti-War Committee of plotting a coup.

According to the FSB, the committee, which was created to oppose Russia’s war in Ukraine, is vying for “the violent seizure of power and overthrow of the constitutional order in the Russian Federation”.

Khodorkovsky says the allegations are lies. Kremlinologists say it is a clear sign of a new sense of vulnerability at the heart of the Russian state.

The article goes on to list all the reasons Putin should be worried. From the economic, to the military, to the political and the diplomatic. While I like The Telegraph, I would take all of this with a grain of salt. Which is to say, I've heard a lot of this before, and he is still in power. (Hat tip to Newsmax and Putin Faces Growing Financial Crisis Amid Sanctions) The one thing that will eventually stop Putin, is time. It's rumored that he has cancer, and he is not a young man. But then what? What, or who, comes next?

Russia Seems to Want WWIII

Putin has never made any secret of what he intends to do. Poland shoots down Putin’s drones and warns it’s ‘closer to conflict than at any time since World War II’

Almost from the day the Berlin Wall fell, and certainly since he came to power Vladimir Putin has said that the Soviet Empire should never have been abandoned, and should be rebuilt. His invasions of Georgia, the Crimean peninsula, and lately the rest of Ukraine should have proven that. Now his forces are violating NATO airspace in Poland.

Poland has warned it is closer to conflict than at any point since the Second World War following an unprecedented incursion into Nato territory by Russian drones.

The country’s air defences were scrambled after 19 projectile UAVs entered its airspace during a major attack on western Ukraine, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said.

Poland shot down some of those drones, and it provided photos of at least one. Click thru.

Mr Tusk has invoked Article 4 of the Nato treaty, demanding consultation with its member states.

All the politicians are issuing soundbites, or statements; it is hard to tell them apart today.

Time to make sure the emergency supplies are up to snuff, and maybe order some iodine pills. Your gourmet pink salt is fine and all, but you should be consuming some iodized salt.

And that is the Polish flag above. I'm sure some people will wonder.

The European Green Cult Is Suicidal

I believe in preserving the environment, but the way Europe is going about things looks insane to me. Green rules ‘stop Europe preparing for Russian invasion’

European countries have blamed EU environmental regulations for hindering their preparations for defending against a possible Russian invasion.

In a leaked letter obtained by The Telegraph, the nations’ defence ministers argued that the rules had stopped the expansion of military bases and prevented fighter jet pilots from training.

The United Kingdom is upping its defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027. The continent is dragging its collective feet.

They said this was “mainly (but not exclusively) in the areas of procurement legislation, nature conservation and environmental protection, and more generally the administrative burden on defence organisations deriving from various EU legal acts”.

The letter was signed by the Dutch, Swedish, German, Belgian, Czech, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Finnish, Estonian and Danish governments.

I'm old enough to remember how the Europeans laughed at President Trump, during his first term, for insisting that they increase defense spending in the face of Russian aggression. I don't think their laughing so much now.

The commission had promised to ease regulations that could hinder the rearmament efforts, but has yet to do so in any significant way.

It would seem that they would rather live under Putin, than give up the control they've siezed of life in Europe. Bureaucracies NEVER yield power.

And yes, Putin is acting like he wants to take on NATO. Putin is building new force to take on Nato

Russia is building bases and expanding its military footprint near the Finnish border, in a sign of where its swollen army could be moved after a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Hat tip to William Teach at Pirate's Cove LOL: Europe Not Ready For Russian Invasion Due To Climate (scam) Rules.

Eco-zealotry is damning Europe. Putin might have an easier time rolling over the EU than Ukraine.

Russia "Upset" After It Torpedoes Ceasefire Talks

Russia said it would consider a ceasefire if Ukraine stops mobilizing, and the West stops helping. So if Ukraine gives up, unilaterally, then Russia MIGHT come to the table. Right. Does anyone believe that if Ukraine stopped fighting that Russia would take its troops and go home? If so, there is probably still some swampland in Florida for sale, or maybe you would be interested in buying a bridge in NYC.

So when that didn't work America and Europe finally decided to let slip the dogs of war. Or to at least stop putting artificial constraints on what Ukraine can do. West Lifts Limits On Long Range Missile Strikes By Ukraine | SHTF Plan

At the EuropaForum on Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, “there are no longer any range restrictions” on Western-supplied weapons used by Ukraine against Russian military targets. “There are no restrictions from the UK, France, Germany, or the US,” he added, as quoted by Euronews and reported by RT.

I don't know why they think these restrictions, hemming the the war fighters so they can't cross certain lines, will work. It has never worked in the past. Well, you might say it worked in Korea, but then that war is still officially going on.

Russia has consistently condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, arguing that they fuel more bloodshed and hinder efforts toward the peace process. Earlier this month, Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks since 2022. The sides agreed to present detailed ceasefire proposals, carry out a record 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap, and continue negotiations.

Of course the advancing Russian troops also could be viewed as hindering the peace process, but old Vlad apparently doesn't see things that way.

From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog we get the following: Huge: Ukraine Destroys 40 Russian Bombers

In a coordinated drone strike on several Russian air fields, Ukraine seems to have dealt a blow to the Russian Air Force.

Remember Trump’s ominous warnings about what would happen if Putin wouldn’t play ball? Shortly after Trump and other NATO allies reportedly lifted long-range strike restrictions on supplied weapons, Ukraine carried out a massive drone attack against multiple Russian airbases that reportedly took out 40 Russian aircraft, most of which were bombers.

There is a lot of detail provided by Lawrence Person, as usual, you should click thru. It is a quick read, because he is always concise.

The cost-benefit ratio of Vlad’s Big Adventure continues to shift heavily against Russia. In addition to having Finland and Sweden join NATO and having up to one million dead, Russia has now lost almost half it’s operational strategic bomber fleet.

And if that wasn't enough, two Russian bridges "collapsed" in differnet regions. Two deadly bridge collapses in Russia near Ukraine blamed on deliberate explosions

Two bridges collapsed in two regions bordering Ukraine. In one case a highway fell on a railroad, causing a train to derail. In the other a railway bridge collapsed while a freight train was going over the bridge.

Russia’s Investigative Committee linked the incidents and said explicitly that both bridges were “blown up.”

Russia says this is "terror against civilians," but doesn't say anything about their shelling Kyiv.

There was some speculation that the freight train included at least some military supplies, as Russia uses its rail network to supply their troops, but I haven't seen anything definitive.

Killer Competition in Russian Chess

Attempted killer, anyway. Chess Player Suspended After Allegedly Poisoning Her Rival

Amina Abakarova, a 40-year-old chess coach from Makhachkala in the Russian Republic of Dagestan, is accused of trying to poison her rival, 30-year-old Umayganat Osmanova.

For the geographically challenged, the Republic of Dagestan is on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, bordered by Russia to the north, Russia and Georgia to the west, and Azerbaijan to the south. It is part of The North Caucasian Federal District (one of eight federal districts) of Russia.

Ms. Osmanova was poisoned with mercury. Security cameras showed Abakorova smearing something 20 minutes prior to the match. It was determined to be mercury.

Osmanova said she began feeling unwell 30 minutes later, complaining of nausea and dizziness, prompting an immediate call for medical assistance. Doctors eventually concluded that poisoning was a likely cause. After reviewing the footage from security cameras, the arbiter reported it to the police and Abakarova was detained.

Abakarova was hostile because Osmanova had beaten Abakarova the week before in the Dagestan Rapid Championship. Abakarova claims she didn't mean to kill Osmanova, but she has been suspended from Russian Chess, has been arrested, and faces up to three years in prison.

And people still insist that chess is "only a game." It is a blood sport, though it doesn't usually sink this low.

Putin Takes a Page Out of the Democrats' Playbook and Bans Opponent from Election

Because all dictators are the same. Yekaterina Duntsova barred from running against Putin in election

Former TV journalist Yekaterina Duntsova was barred on Saturday from running against President Vladimir Putin in an election next March because of alleged mistakes in her application to register as a candidate.

So mistakes in her application. And her actual ability to win the election also disqualified her.

The immediate torpedoing of her campaign will be seized on by Putin’s critics as evidence that no one with genuine opposition views will be allowed to stand against him in the first presidential election since he launched the war in Ukraine. They see it as a fake process with only one possible outcome.

The Colorado Supreme Court is pleased with this outcome. The California Democrats are climbing onto the same "We hate the very idea of democracy" bandwagon.

WWIII Seems to Be on the Horizon

I was told that the Democrats would prevent World War 3, while Trump (Or Bush, or Reagan, back in the day) would be sure to start WWIII. Lower house of Russian parliament votes to revoke ratification of global nuclear test ban

This is silly really. One of the things we proved during the cold war is that you really don't need to test nuclear bombs. Get the math right, the chemistry right, and the engineering right, and they will go boom.

The State Duma lawmakers voted unanimously to revoke the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in the third and final reading on Wednesday. The bill will now go to the upper house, the Federation Council, which will consider it next week. Federation Council lawmakers have already said they will support the bill.

The legislation was introduced to parliament following a statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned earlier this month that Moscow could revoke its 2000 decision to ratify the treaty to “mirror” the stand taken by the United States, which has signed but not ratified the nuclear test ban.

The lack of required testing is why the only states that 'test' such things are making a point. Such as Pakistan did in 1998.

I suppose this explains why Russia conducted a Nuclear Weapons drill for the population at the beginning of the month. Children race to put on gas masks during eerie WW3 nuclear drill.

Russian children were forced to put on gas masks as the country held a terrifying drill for an incoming nuclear attack.

All 11 time zones took part in the drill, as did the government. There were some problems, of course, with alarms sounding at the wrong time, or not at all. That is to be expected in a country as large as Russia. 11 time zones is NOT a typo.

One of the things that Americans refused to acknowledge throughout the Cold War is that Russia never signed on to the idea that nuclear war is unwinnable. They have built bomb and fallout shelters almost continually for since the 1950s. They stopped briefly after the fall of the Soviet Union, but they started construction again shortly after Putin came to power. For that matter Switzerland has bomb or fallout shelters for virtually its entire population. Building Fallout shelters is written into their building code, and has been since the '50s or '60s.

Here are a few of Cold War songs. First up is "So Long Mom (A Song for World War III)" from Tom Lehrer, and "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. This is the version from Wave 103 and the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack. I much prefer this edit to the version from the official video.

The air attack warning sounds like
This is the sound

And finally "Russians" by Sting. "Believe me when I say to you, I hope the Russians love their children too."

Putin, The War in Ukraine, and Nuclear War

He always meant it. Putin flirts again with grim prospect of nuclear war – this time he might mean it

Putin has always been serious about nuclear war. I'm not sure what he could have said differently to convince these analysts and journalists of that. "Nuclear war is unthinkable" has NEVER been a thing in Russia. Not in the Soviet Union. Not today.

The message from Vladimir Putin’s ominous morning speech, which marked the biggest escalation of the Ukraine war since the invasion on 24 February, was clear: Russia is willing to use nuclear weapons if Ukraine continues its offensive operations.

While the longtime Russian leader has previously flirted with the grim prospect of using nuclear weapons, experts say his latest statements went further, raising fears around the world of an unprecedented nuclear disaster.

Still, maybe if the journalists start to believe it, then the average man in the street might start to believe it. Not that anyone will do anything, because they don't believe there is anything they can do to prepare, or indeed that there is any reason to prepare.

If you live in Manhattan, you are probably screwed. If you live in Buffalo, NY not so much. And if you live in a less-likely to be targeted part of the country, well, you should at least think about the aftermath of a limited nuclear exchange.

Remember when the Germans Laughed at Trump Over Energy?

I wish a media outlet would track down all of the Germans who laughed at Trump (was it at the UN?) and ask them what they think about energy prices, and what Trump had to say today. None will of course, because Orange Man Bad™, and how does that help the narrative?

With energy at record highs, the economies of European countries are on the brink of recession. Europe energy crisis: German and French power prices notch record highs ahead of Russia's next pipeline shutdown

• German power prices, which is Europe's benchmark, jumped 17% to a record 750 euros a megawatt-hour for next year.
• In France, prices for next year climbed 12% to also hit a record 880 euros a megawatt-hour.
• Russia is set to halt Nord Stream 1 gas flows during a three-day maintenance period at the end of August.

For comparison, in my last-month's electric bill I paid $0.03148200 a kilowatt hour, or less than $31.49 per megawatt hour. So the Germans are (or will be) paying 2,382% more than I did last month. I said "will be" because the prices are futures, that will be paid in 2023.

Europe's energy crisis has been exacerbated by Russia's natural gas halts and reductions. And next week, the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline will shut down again for maintenance. Gazprom has already slashed gas flows to just 20% of capacity, prompting accusations that Moscow is weaponizing energy supplies.

Gee, you think? Or, where is it written that since Russia is at war with Western Europe that they can't use all of the weapons at their disposal? Are you saying that economic warfare is not Kosher? I direct your attention to the history of letters of Marquis and Reprisal.

What's that you say? Russia is at war with Ukraine and not all of Europe. If you truly believe that I have some Florida swamp-land you might be interested in. Pay no attention to the endangered species living on the property; I sure you will be able to build your dream home.

And while you may believe that Russia is not at war with all of Europe, what you believe doesn't matter. It really only matters what Vladimir Putin believes.

But then to admit that Russia using economic means of warfare was completely foreseeable means that the Europeans would have to admit that Trump was right when he said they were opening themselves up to a world of hurt at Putin's hands. And they will not admit that Trump was right, not even when they are freezing in the dark.

The graph above comes from Trading Economics: Germany Electricity Price as of 2022-08-27. That site will be updated. The graph above will not be updated.

I'm Shocked - Shocked! - That Russians Would Fund Radical Groups

OK so I'm not all that shocked. The Other McCain: Feds: Russian Agent Funded Radical Fringe Groups, Including Black Hammer

Remember our friend Augustus Romain Jr. a/k/a “Gazi Kodzo”? Well, his Black Hammer group is one of three organizations identified by federal prosecutors as under Russian influence

Black Hammer was identified as "Group 2" in the list of 3 groups getting funds from the Russians. Reporters identified Group 1 as African People's Socialist Party and Group 3 as "Yes California," a group that wants California to secede from the union.

Do you think the Russians are trying to cause trouble?

Germany Laughed at Trump Over Dependence on Russian Oil

I don't think that they are laughing today. Wall Street Journal: How Germany Is Racing to Sever Dependence on Russian Energy

You can hate Trump, and despise everything he stands for, but even a broken watch is right once in a while. And he was right about Russia. (Remember when Obama laughed about Russia being the greatest foreign policy threat? He isn't laughing either, as far as I can tell. Though he paid no price for being spectacularly wrong.)

Days after taking office as Germany’s vice chancellor and economy minister in December, Robert Habeck asked his most senior officials for a detailed assessment of his country’s dependence on Russian energy. The result shocked him.

The country heavily relied on Russian hydrocarbons to power vehicles and factories and heat homes, and there was no contingency plan to secure other supplies, Mr. Habeck said. The government had no viable alternative to Russian imports.

Habeck goes on to describe the situation as a catastrophe. One easily seen, if you could look at Russia with clarity, and not through the American mainstream media. Or European media (for the most part) as well.

Russian companies controlled Germany's energy infrastructure, not just the supply. Refineries in Germany were not interested in refining non-Russian oil. It goes on from there.

“We’re suffering the consequences of allowing a Russian energy company to obtain such a strong influence on our supply,” a government report concluded this month, referring to Rosneft.

So, how did Germany react when President Trump pointed to these problems in 2018? FLASHBACK: Trump Warned UN About Relying On Russian Oil, Was Laughed At By German Delegation.

“Here in the Western Hemisphere, we are committed to maintaining our independence from the encroachment of expansionist foreign powers,” Trump continued as the camera then panned to the German delegation, who appeared to be laughing.

So how many of those laughing Germans are still in government? How many got promoted? How many will get promoted figuring out how to fix the mess that they thought was oh so funny, a few short years ago?

I would love to feel sorry of Germany, but like so many bone-headed decisions that were made under Merkel, they brought all this on themselves. As things stand, they are facing a recession for lack of energy, or from high energy prices.

An Odd Bit of Truth from Russia

And a general lesson. Russia admits it faces economic collapse over Putin’s war

The general lesson is that sanctions take time to take hold. That said, I don't think that any amount of sanctions imposed on Russia will get Putin to change course.

Russia is facing its deepest economic decline in almost three decades as it grapples with the fallout from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Finance Ministry has admitted.

Internal forecasts estimate that Russia’s GDP could shrink by as much as 12pc this year, Bloomberg reports.

Russia could suffer the worst economic fallout in the history of mankind, and I don't believe that Putin will abandon his Rebuild the Empire goals. He has Parkinson's disease, and cancer. I don't think he has the perspective of someone with "A lot to lose."

He Said He Didn't Want NATO on His Doorstep

UPDATE: CTV decided to deep six the previous story that I had linked. I udated the link - to a current story on NATO- but did not rewrite the entire post.

But that is exactly what Putin is getting, thanks to his invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine news: Sweden, Finland to apply to NATO | CTV News

Two newspapers - one Swedish, the other one Finnish - are reporting that the governments of Sweden and Finland have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time and that it will happen in the middle of next month.

The Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said that the Swedish government has expressed a wish to Finland that they apply together in the week starting May 22 and Swedish government sources confirmed the information to Sweden's Expressen tabloid.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to growing support in Sweden and Finland, a Russian neighbour, for joining NATO.

Finland was once part of the Russian Empire, way back when there was such a thing, under the tsars. They avoided being part of the Soviet Union, which didn't sit well with the Soviets, so the Russians invaded in what was known as The Winter War, during 1939 to 1940. That was the war that brought us Simo Häyhä, The White Death. Like the incursion into Ukraine, the Winter War didn't go quite the way the Russians planned.

Both Sweden and Finland cooperate - a lot - with NATO already. NATO war games often take place in the 2 countries, for example.

Anyway, there is more about what is happening in and around Ukraine at the link. Everything from Germany and Russia expelling diplomats, to Environmental protests over Russian oil in Norway is covered.

Russian Economy Is In Shambles

This will have absolutely NO impact on Putin and the War in Ukraine. Global Risk: Russlands Wirtschaft geht dramatischen Zeiten entgegen - OR - Worse than after the collapse of the Soviet Union: Russia's economy is facing dramatic times

The article is in German, but Google translate does an exceptionally good job with German.

The first paragraph is eye opening.

The international manufacturers have stopped producing paper in their Russian factories. As a result, there is a serious shortage, which in turn has pushed up the price for a pack of toilet paper brand "Svetocopy" from 280 to 2290 rubles - the equivalent of 25.80 euros.

That is almost $28 for a pack of toilet paper - which I'm assuming is either 4 or 6 rolls. That is expensive.

Unfortunately, like so much today, most of the article is behind a paywall. Such is life in 2022.

Empty shelves and hardship will not get Putin to stop being an empire builder.

Russia Is Always Under Attack, Even When It Isn't

Former Finnish intelligence colonel Martti J. Kari has a guest spot on Ricochet, with an intro by Jon Gabriel. Finnish Intelligence Officer Explains the Russian Mindset

I have often tried to talk to friends about the fact that the Russian (or Soviet) government didn't see the world the same way they did. It almost never took. But then even the brain trust that was the Obama administration didn't see the annexation of Crimea coming, even though Putin has spoken clearly and continually since he came to power about rebuilding empire. And the same is true for Obama's third-term administration, where they were shocked that Russia would move again. Because they don't see the world in the same terms as empire builders.

The first question, or issue, is "Why bother?"

When I say understand, I do not mean that we have to approve of what Russia is doing. But it helps us understand why Russia does things differently. It may even give us the instruments to predict what may happen next. Churchill said that “Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” It is true. This is well said. Let us now set out to dispel this riddle through the theory of strategic culture.

It is a long article and covers a lot of ground. Cold War era Strategic Culture was a discipline designed to understand that enigma. The article also touches on the history of Russia, and more. I will only excerpt a small bit about why Russia feels it is under attack.

There are 11 time zones in Russia. These huge distances also affect Russia. From the Polish border to Moscow, through to the Urals, is a plateau that is easy to attack with both horses and tanks. That is what has been done. Napoleon attacked, the Germans attacked, and so on. That idea is also in the genetic inheritance of the Russians, that someone is always attacking. “We will be conquered.” They have no shelter, no mountains, no rivers. There are no lakes between the east and the capital. Geographically, Russia has always been easy to conquer, which also influences their thinking.

Though finishing that conquest, has been an issue at times. Even though the German invasion failed, the Soviet Union suffered nearly 5 million military casualties in Operation Barbarosa. That was the official name of the German invasion in WWII. The Nazis also carried out a program intending to exterminate the Slavic people, and widespread starvation took hold in the winter of 1941. But that is a story for another day.

If you want a glimpse of what Russia may be thinking, then you should take a look. Martti Kari was a Finnish intelligence expert, he studied Russian in Leningrad, and pursued a PhD on a similar subject after getting out of the military.

Hat tip to Ace of Spades HQ

Is Biden Trying to Provoke WWIII?

He seems to be doing exactly that. President Biden’s Putin speech in Poland is a catastrophe

He came, he saw, he confused.

Joe Biden’s call-to-arms speech in Poland was long on soaring rhetoric about the virtues of democracy but woefully short on what more the West will do to help Ukraine defeat the Russian invasion. But by the time he got to the finish, most of that was forgotten.

What mattered most and what will be remembered for a long time was a single line the president of the United States said about the president of Russia

Go read the whole depressing thing. This is the "Foreign Policy Expert" that you all voted for in 2020. Or as VP Harris said, this is what you asked for.

I did particularly like this line:

Was it Russian disinformation, like Hunter Biden’s emails? Or maybe the dramatic line just walked into the speech by itself?

That wasn't the only thing that staff was forced to "explain." How do you explain that what he clearly said was not what he meant to say? So often, that is. Or do you really mean, "That is not what we told him to say." Not that a President Harris would do much better; her word-salad is almost as horrible.

Could a Depressed Putin Start WWIII?

This is not good. 'Depressed' Vladimir Putin is 'set to hold a nuclear evacuation drill' with the Kremlin's doomsday plane after moving his family to a 'secret underground city' in Siberia, 'insider' account claims

Putin's health is not good. His mental health is not good.

The first order of business is the nuclear evacuation "drill."

The source said that Putin shocked his top generals recently by demanding nuclear drill be undertaken, increasing fears he is preparing for a nuclear conflict.

Another Russian expert has previously claimed that Putin has moved his family to a secret location that is not just a bunker, but a huge underground city, in order to keep them safe from a potential nuclear fallout.

Though I knew about that 2nd bit days ago.

Then there is the bit about his health.

Repeating earlier claims about his alleged condition - previous dismissed by the Kremlin - the post said: 'When Vladimir Putin, who suffers from oncology, Parkinson's disease and schizoaffective disorder, invites members of the government and the heads of the State Duma and the Federation Council [the lower and upper houses of parliament] to take part in preparing for evacuation in case of a nuclear war… it becomes not fun at all'.

And then there is his mental health, and even though this source is a bit suspect, it fits.

Boris Karpichkov, a former KGB spy now living in the UK, told the Sun Online that Putin lost the way before it even started.

'He turned out to be a psychopath really heavily obsessed with paranoid ideas and conspiracy theories against himself and about non existent threats Russia allegedly faces from the rest of the world,' Karpichkov said.

There is more at the link, and even though it is from The Daily Mail, I think you have to take some of it seriously. None of it is good.

Blinken to Moscow: Or Else!

Vague threats is all this administration will muster. Blinken warns Moscow of consequences amid troop buildup near Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday he was concerned about the number of Russian troops amassing on the Ukrainian border and warned Moscow that “there will be consequences” for aggresive [sic] behavior.

Apparently they don't have the budget for spellcheckers at CNBC. Or maybe they are showing that they agree with the "spelling and grammar are instruments of white privilege" nonsense.

The geniuses who ran the Obama State Department did nothing while Russia invaded and annexed Crimea. Now they will make vague threats as Russia amasses troops on the border with Ukraine.

And they also don't seem to have an appreciation for what happened as recently as when Obama was in office.

In recent weeks, Moscow has increased its military presence along the Ukrainian border, sparking concerns in the West of a budding military conflict between the two neighboring countries.

For those of you who were asleep when Obama was in office, Russia invaded an annexed Crimea. There is an article linked at the bottom of this post for some historical information.

NATO, in the meantime is again taking credit for something done by the US. Two US Destroyers Enter Black Sea; Russia Responds. Two guided missile destroyers, that is, though I doubt any missile will be fired on the Crimean peninsula.

NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu praised the decision to send three ships to the waterway, welcomed the deployment, saying “in response to Russia’s illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its ongoing military build-up in the Black Sea, the Alliance has increased its defensive presence in the region and remains strongly committed to Black Sea security.”

As for the "warning" that our esteemed Secretary of State gave the Russians... Things like that always put me in mind of the following scene from Demolition Man.

.

Here is a review of the invasion and annexation of Crimea by Putin in March of 2014. That position has since been consolidated. From March of last year... Crimea: Six years after illegal annexation.

Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution ended in late February 2014, when President Victor Yanukovych fled Kyiv — later to turn up in Russia — and the Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) appointed an acting president and acting prime minister to take charge. They made clear their intention to draw Ukraine closer to Europe by signing an association agreement with the European Union.

Almost immediately thereafter, armed men began occupying key facilities and checkpoints on the Crimean peninsula. Clearly professional soldiers by the way they handled themselves and their weapons, they wore Russian combat fatigues but with no identifying insignia. Ukrainians called them “little green men.” President Vladimir Putin at first flatly denied these were Russian soldiers, only to later admit that they were and award commendations to their commanders.

The West (Obama and company) urged Ukraine to do nothing. Let Russia fire the first shot.

By early March of 2014 Russia had control of the entire Crimean penninsula, and on March 18th the annexation was made official. Today, Ukraine couldn't retake Crimea. And with Obama 2.0 in the White House, my guess is that Putin will take another bite of the apple.

The Obama adminstration was confused by the events in Crimea. Someone (Biden?) was surprised by the action taking place in the 21st Century. Surely human nature had changed fundamentally in the past 50 years! Or something. They will be equally shocked and dismayed and confused by the next crisis, wherever it occurs. (Russia isn't the only one making faces at old enemies.)